H G Wells And Orson Welles Meeting in 1940

March 26, 2015 | Posted in AUTHORS, BOOKS, CLASSICS, HISTORICAL, HORROR, MOVIES, NON-FICTION, SCIENCE FICTION, SCIENCE FICTION | By

Mystery Writers by Nana B Agyei on Flickr

H G Wells, who was travelling in the United States on a lecture tour, and safely away from the Luftwaffe bombing in Europe and London, expressed great amusement at the similarity of the names, Wells & Welles. He jokingly advises Orson Welles to drop the unnecessary extra e.

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Theatre Review – Aristophanes – Birds

March 25, 2015 | Posted in AUTHORS, CLASSICS, COMEDY, FANTASY, HISTORICAL | By

Mystery Writers by Nana B Agyei on Flickr

Theatre Review – Aristophanes – Birds   Spoiler alerts – c.5 BC   Greek comedy is a medium I usually find mildly amusing, raunchy and philosophical, but not particularly funny. Even other works by Aristophanes, such as Lysistrata, in which

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Book Review: The Towers of Tuscany by Carol M. Cram

February 14, 2015 | Posted in HISTORICAL | By

The Palazzo Pubblico at the Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy.

Sofia Barducci is the daughter of a highly regarded painter in the medieval Italian town of San Gimignano. When she was younger, she learned how to paint and draw from her father, and though the lessons were often hard and grueling she developed a fine talent herself…

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The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi’s Venice by Laurel Corona

July 26, 2014 | Posted in HISTORICAL | By

The Four Seasons by Laurel Corona

A moving work of historical fiction blending music, love and life in 18th century Italy Book summary: Two young sisters—one three years old, one just born—are abandoned to the Ospedale della Pietà in 18th century Venice by their courtesan mother

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“The Midwife of Venice” by Roberta Rich

July 7, 2014 | Posted in HISTORICAL | By

The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich.

Hannah Levi is known to be one of the most talented midwives in late 16th century Venice. She is also Jewish, and by law that means she is forbidden from attending to Christian mothers, no matter how great their needs for her talents. However…

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Book Review: “Immortal” by Traci L. Slatton

June 30, 2014 | Posted in FANTASY, HISTORICAL | By

The Italian city of Florence, where much of the action in Immortal takes place.

When we first meet Luca Bastardo, the central character of Traci L. Slatton’s 2008 novel Immortal, he is awaiting execution—and it is a fate he is willing to accept after living a very rich life spanning nearly two centuries…

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“The City War” by Sam Starbuck: Roman politics, intrigue and sexuality explored

April 6, 2014 | Posted in HISTORICAL, LGBT THEMES | By

The City War

History, and historical fiction, typically portrays Marcus Junius Brutus as a devious, bloodthirsty traitor: power hungry and ready to kill, as he does by taking a leading role in the plot to kill Julius Caesar…

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